Lonely Paradise
by Dragonflower
Summary: Life's meant to be relaxing and peaceful in the Shire, Right? Well for Marieke, a young lesbian hobbit, finds it difficult to fit in with the other people in her friendship group as she is madly in love with somebody else (And no, it's not Saruman ! He is


It was a temperate day in Hobbiton. The sun was shining in the afternoon sky, birds whistled in the trees, and three young female hobbits were sitting on the freshly, cut grass eating a late lunch. The younger hobbit, Mel Hunt, lay on the ground, looked up at the sky where the clouds formed different shapes that sent her into a gaze. Her hair was spread along the natural floor space. Its golden streaks moved gently in the wind. "Wow look at them clouds!" said Mel dreamily.  
  
"You're so weird like that." Said another hobbit, happily eating her third helping of chips from her pack.  
  
"I am not!" Mel replied, "I just enjoy nature that's all. And anyway at least I don't eat all the food in the Shire." Snapped Mel, her face turned into a solemn smirk. The other Hobbit looked disgusted. But also found Mel's remark quite funny. Yet this didn't stop her from arguing, so she quickly thought of something witty to say.  
  
"Me, I eat all of the food in the Shire? You're the one who..." The other hobbit, Toni LaVelle, was cut off bye a third hobbit nearly the same age as Toni.  
  
"Will you two cut it out?!" cried Marieke. She was about the same age as Toni. She had shoulder length brown hair with red and blonde streaks highlighted into it. She had grey eyes and around her nose, freckles were sprinkled, and they spread out towards the edge of her cheekbones.  
  
"Come on Marieke, we're just havin' a bit of fun, don't tell me you've never had a cussing match before?" Said Mel grinning. Mel also had freckles, but hers were nearly all around her face. She had golden sunkist hair, which always flew gently against the breeze, even if there wasn't much wind. "Ok call me anything you want, really insult me", Encouraged Mel.  
  
"Okay..." Marieke hesitated for a second. She had never been very good at this, but now was her chance to shine, "You're a... you're a pigeon!" she smiled, expecting a round of applause or something like that. But all she got was blank faces.  
  
"Well I suppose that's good for a beginner," Toni said nodding at Mel waiting for an agreement.  
  
"Yeah, that was ok... I guess." Mel said. "But you can do better. Look I bet you any money that by the end of the day you'll be down at the Green Dragon later telling that grumpy Old Farmer Maggot that he's a right old bastard." She smiled reassuringly.  
  
"I will wont I? Hang on... A what? Farmer Maggot's a bastard? What's that?!" Marieke asked, sounding particularly clueless. Soon it was clear enough that Marieke had lived a squeaky clean life with no cursing involved whatsoever.  
  
Toni shook her head in disbelief. "You are unbelievable!" she said.  
  
Toni had short hair, kind of scraggily and squinty brown eyes. One thing she could do as a talent was eating. She even had double elevenses, more than the average hobbit. She looked over at Mel astonished about Marieke's bewildering quandary.  
  
"Can we go now?" nagged Mel, she was getting cold, you could tell by the many goosebumps occurring on her arm.  
  
"WATCH OUT !!!" a distant voice was screaming.  
  
Mel looked up; a large leather football came soaring from the sky, landing on Mel's forehead. She collapsed back onto the tartan picnic blanket. A young male hobbit with curly brown hair ran over. He had scary blue eyes that twinkled in the daylight. It was young Frodo Baggins from Bag End. He was the nephew of Bilbo Baggins, whom had many adventures including an encounter with Smaug the Dragon.  
  
"My god, I'm so sorry are you ok?" He asked, his voice was filled with concern.  
  
"What do you think? You idiot, she's lying on the floor with an bump the size of an egg on her head!" Toni cried, she'd never liked Frodo. But knew that Mel had a gigantic crush on him and Toni chuckled when she realised that Mel wouldn't have seen any of this because she, however, was out cold on the floor.  
  
"Look it wasn't my fault! At least I warned you," he screamed.  
  
"Dear Lord! What is it with you people and having arguments," said Marieke, her voice seemed slightly higher than the others' did. Toni pulled a face at Frodo. He looked revolted and turned his head away, looking at the unconscious Mel, with her head resting neatly on the tree trunk.  
  
"It's mainly you Toni who starts all these arguments you know," said Marieke wisely. Frodo smirked at Toni, sticking his tongue out.  
  
By now, two other male hobbits had surrounded the deeply 'sleeping' Mel. There was Peregrin Took and Samwise Gamgee.  
  
"Hey is she ok?" asked Sam, "I mean we didn't mean to cause any harm. We were just playin' around, you know?" said Sam; his eyes winced awkwardly to show his apologies. He looked around, "Toni, do you by any chance know where Kelly is?"  
  
Toni shook her head, "Sorry no, I don't." she paused for a second, "Why?" she smiled at him. Kelly was Toni's younger sister, only by a year mind; she had dark, brown shoulder length hair and brown eyes. Sam didn't say anything, "Why do you want to know where my sister is?" Toni repeated.  
  
"Oh she just owes me a shilling from when I bought her a drink at the Green Dragon." Sam replied hesitating as he spoke.  
  
"Ooooh!" cried Pippin; he carried on, "Sam and Kelly sitting in a tree, doing things they shouldn't be..." "She owes me a shilling that's all!" said Sam raising his voice slightly.  
  
"Oh Sam you prick, you're such a tight wad." Marieke insulted.  
  
"I am not!" cried Sam. "I'm just friends with your sister Toni, and I care to help her when she's in money trouble."  
  
"Oh please! If you were such a good friend of Kel's you would let her off. Anyway it was just a mug of ale, I think that you would be able to spare a few shillings you fag." Marieke snapped. Toni was amazed. She could not believe the things that Marieke was saying. Wasn't it that earlier Marieke's best insult was a pigeon? Now she was calling the local cutie a 'gay prick' and a 'tight wad'.  
  
Sam's face dulled. His face was no longer happy, it was drooped and upset, he looked down at Marieke, and his face was sour. Nothing was said and he shook his head in disbelief. Crumbs from Tone's sandwich sprinkled off his cloak as he got up.  
  
"Look, I wasn't being serious!" cried Marieke as Sam ran off. She didn't hesitate to run after him making his way to the brook down the lane.  
  
"Sam! Sam! Please let me talk to you." Marieke pleaded.  
  
"Why? Why should I?" Sam asked suspiciously, he carried on, "Why did you call me a fag, embarrass me in front of everyone? You know how I feel about Kel, I thought you were my friend! I thought I could trust you! Looks like I was wrong... You are just a spiteful cow!" Sam cried, tears running down his eyes.  
  
"It was me! I'm not happy Sam. And I know a hobbits life is meant to be happy and contented. But you just don't know how I feel. No one cares about me. They want to improve me, but they don't care." Marieke sobbed.  
  
"Maybe if you were nicer, people would care!" Sam screamed loudly.  
  
"How can I be nice if no one understands me! I'm not like other girls Sam, Toni's always like 'oooh Pippin's so fit', and Mel's like 'Oh my God, Frodo just looked at me!' They never ask me, 'cause they think 'Oh she's a lesbian, she's different to us. She doesn't care about anyone.'" cried Marieke, by this time she too was screaming as her thoughts came out. Her grey eyes were clouding through tears as they streamed down her cheeks, trickling into her dry, cracked lips.  
  
"Come here..." Sam, said soothingly inviting her into a hug. "You care, you do, I know it's there. You care for someone." Marieke walked forward, her arms connected with Sam's back. Her tears still ran down, flooding Sam's already wet cloak.  
  
"So who do you care for then?" Sam asked. Marieke knew he was going to ask. So she shut her eyes tight and gripped her knuckles together. This was the biggest confession she had ever come across.  
  
Breaking from Sam she whispered; "Your sister Lizzie."  
  
He smiled convivially. "Well, as far as I know, she's single alright" he giggled, making Marieke laugh too. Marieke's tears stopped falling.  
  
"Oh Sam, do you think I'll ever be successful in life?" she asked.  
  
"Ok, time out Marieke. You are, I think, the most clever hobbit round here. Bilbo's clever logically. But you, you think so deeply, with such meaning..." Sam was interupted by Marieke.  
  
"Do you think I'll ever find love though?" she asked eagerly.  
  
"Wait. I was coming to that. If you carry on with your work on the books that you right. Lizzie's sure to want to be in your arms." He smiled speaking. "Now let's go to the Green Dragon to have a pint." announced Sam. Marieke looked down still.  
  
"Sam, thanks. You've really helped... But I think I'll just go home, I need some time alone, you know? To cool down." Marieke said truthfully.  
  
Sam put his arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Oh that's ok, but you know I did expect to meet my ever so lovely sister, Lizzie, there you know." He teased.  
  
"Okay, okay. You won I'll go but only for a bit. I arranged with Bilbo to meet him at his house to sort his paperwork out. He's become ever so messy you know." She said.  
  
They walked up the path all the way to the Green Dragon, where Lizzie was waiting for Sam by the front door. 


End file.
